‘You Cannot Argue with a Flood’: new 360 film in English and Tagalog

We have recently been working on a series of immersive films using 360 technology and are very pleased to announce the launch of our first 360 film!

Immersive films bring the audience into the environment they take place in, places that can be inaccessible. They usually have a single contributor who acts as a narrator to tell the story taking place in the environments, or they can have interactive text to set the scene.

Through Google Cardboard and YouTube app on mobile android phones, the immersive experience of watching 360 videos is made possible.

This collaborative project focus on the post-conflict city of Marawi and the Internally Displaced People in nearby host communities. ‘You Cannot Argue with a Flood’ tells the story of Hanan, a young Filipino woman. When Hanan’s home city of Marawi is destroyed by terrorists, she becomes an internally displaced person (IDP) and then suffers the consequences of a typhoon. Through volunteering and providing psychosocial support to other IDPs, she finds recovery.

The film is available in English and in Tagalog on the Academy’s YouTube Channel, and will be included in the Volunteer Essentials learning pathway on Kaya to make the learning more immersive and engaging.

The film was launched at the Caucus of Development NGOs Network (CODE-NGO) annual event on 6-7 December in the Philippines and received great feedback from users:

“The part of the film that hit me the most is when she emphasizes how hard it is to live in Marawi. It is amazing to watch films in VR because I can feel the ambiance in the place and it becomes more realistic.”

“The film tells a lot… you can see the real situation in the area and feel the feelings of the people on the ground.”

A screening was also organised during the Global Health Film Festival in London on 9 December, giving people the opportunity to meet Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker Lauren Anders Brown, as well as the Academy’s Global Innovation Director Atish Gonsalves.

To learn more about the video production process and the “story behind the story”, watch our “Behind the scenes” video!

You Cannot Argue with a Flood

Directed by Lauren Anders Brown of colLABorate: ideas & images Camera and editing by Grant Davis of QuickSand Design Studio Music Composition by Two Twenty Two An immersive film made with the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and partners EcoWEB.

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